Cale Makar, Roman Josi, Aaron Ekblad, Victor Hedman, and John Carlson.
Those are the only defensemen in the NHL this season with more goals per game than Adam Boqvist.
In 2021-22, his first season with the Blue Jackets after coming over from Chicago in the Seth Jones trade, Boqvist set career-highs in games played (52), goals (11), and points (22). His 11 goals were almost double his previous career total entering the season (6).
what a rip by Boqvist
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) December 5, 2021
i'm just imagining that invisible water bottle flying into outer space pic.twitter.com/MPQkoM4owF
When the Blackhawks drafted Boqvist eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, this is the type of production they expected from him.
Adam Boqvist called iso @BlueJacketsNHL pic.twitter.com/BKkjN4041r
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 23, 2022
At this current juncture, Boqvist is a restricted free agent (RFA), so he will be looking to negotiate a new contract. Let's take a look at the comparables for players like Boqvist, defensemen that received second contracts upon completing their entry-level contracts (ELC).
Shayne Gostisbehere
Following the 2017-18 season that saw Gostisbehere score 13 goals and 65 points in 78 games, the Flyers signed him to a six-year extension with a $4.5MM annual cap hit. Before signing the extension Gostisbehere in 218 NHL games, compared to Boqvist's 128. Gosistbehere was significantly more productive in his ELC years than Boqvist was, but if Boqvist continues to develop how the Jackets would like him to, a $4.5MM cap hit in a long-term contract may prove to be a bargain in a few seasons.
Shea Theodore
After scoring five goals and 17 points in 53 games across two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Theodore improved in his first season in Vegas, scoring six goals and 29 points in 61 games in the 2017-18 season. He then signed a seven-year extension with a $5.2MM annual cap hit. Theodore had less production than Gostisbehere to that point but signed for an extra year. Currently, this contract looks like a bargain, as Theodore has scored 47 goals and 177 points in 281 games since the start of the 2018-19 season.
Zach Werenski
Unlike the two previous examples I showed, Werenski's second contract was a short-term deal. Following the 2018-19 season, he signed a three-year extension with a $5MM annual cap hit. Werenski had a fantastic first three NHL seasons, scoring 38 goals and 128 points in 237 games. If the Blue Jackets are hesitant to give Boqvist a long-term deal, this contract may be a good example to work with, especially since Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen negotiated the Werenski contract.
Jakob Chychrun
Chychrun may be the best comparable out of all four examples, because he scored 16 goals throughout his ELC, compared to Boqvist's 17. However, Chychrun played in 171 games, 43 more than Boqvist through three years. Following the 2018-19 season, Chychrun signed a six-year extension with a $4.6MM annual cap hit. Chchyrun, like Werenski and Theodore, has made his second contract look like a bargain.
The negotiation between Boqvist and Blue Jackets management will be one of the top storylines to follow this off-season and it will be interesting to see how his second contract compares to the four players mentioned in this article.
